Viewing PDF Files

Most documents on our website are posted in one or more of three formats: HTML (.htm), Microsoft Word (.doc), or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). Viewing an HTML document requires no additional software and can be viewed through your browser. Viewing a Word document requires that you download the document and open it in Microsoft Word. Viewing an Adobe Acrobat document requires the latest version of Adobe Reader for either online or offline viewing. Downloading a document requires that you right-click on the file and select "Save Link As" or use the File/Save As option on your browser's toolbar.

Adobe Reader enables online viewing of PDF documents through your Web browser, such as Internet Explorer. This means that you will not have to launch the Adobe Reader separately after downloading PDF documents because they will automatically be opened in the Adobe Reader by the browser. You may still download and view the document offline through the Adobe Reader without the browser if you choose to do so.

There is a known problem with certain versions of browsers that causes PDF files not to display completely or not to display at all inside your browser window. The general solution is to configure your computer to display PDF files in a separate Adobe Acrobat application, rather than within a browser window. To do this, follow the instructions below:

Acrobat 7 and Above

Open Adobe Acrobat or Reader.

Select Edit > Preferences > Internet.

Deselect the check box next to "Display PDF in browser."

Close Adobe Acrobat or Reader.

Close browser, if open.

Alternatively, hold the cursor over the PDF link and right-click the mouse. Select "Save Target As." Save the PDF to an appropriate location (e.g., your desktop). Minimize or close the browser window and open the file in the location where the file was saved.

Google Chrome: Please note that our site currently does not support Chrome's built-in PDF Reader. You may select another browser to view Forms, or disable the Chrome PDF Reader and select an alternate PDF Reader. To disable the built-in viewer, please read Chrome's latest Help section on "PDF viewer".

AOL Users: While the AOL browser does support the Adobe Reader, there is a technical problem within the browser that prevents it from displaying PDF files online. This means that, if you are using AOL, download and save the PDF file to your hard drive and open it with the Adobe Reader or consider using an alternative Web browser.

Some files are provided as Microsoft Excel or Access files. To view these files, you will need to download them and open them within Excel or Access.

If we think that downloading a large file is likely to be problematic, we provide it as a compressed file in .ZIP format. Before you can view a .ZIP file, you will need to decompress or unZIP it with a utility like PKUNZIP, WinZip, or Stuffit.